Archives for March 12, 2020

Android Auto is coming to Harley-Davidson motorcycles

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The company plans to start rolling out the software later this year.

With the exception of a couple of late stragglers, Android Auto has become commonplace on most cars. Not so with motorcycles. But that’s about to change with Harley-Davidson announcing that it plans to update some of its existing motorcycles to support Android Auto.

If you own a 2014 or later model Touring, Trike or CVO motorcycle and it’s equipped with the company’s Boom! Box GTS infotainment system, you’ll be able to install Android Auto on your bike by yourself or with the help of a dealership early this summer. If your motorcycle doesn’t have a Boom! Box GTS unit, Harley-Davidson sells as an accessory you can buy separately.

Moving forward, Harley-Davidson says all 2021 model Touring, CVO and Trike motorcycles with Boom! Box GTS units will ship with Android Auto standard. As with Android Auto in a car, you’ll be to navigate using Google Maps, access Assistant and control music playback as long as you connect your phone to the motorcycle’s infotainment system through a USB cable.

Harley-Davidson has supported CarPlay since about mid-2018, so the arrival of Android Auto is something of a long-overdue update. As Android Police points out, in the past it wasn’t uncommon for some people to replace the infotainment system that came with their motorcycle with an aftermarket unit.

Google is working on a native printing and scanning app for Chrome OS

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We just hope it comes out before Cloud Print goes away for good.

Google is working on a native Chrome OS app for printing and scanning, according to 9to5Google. Even though Chromebooks are geared towards schools, they don’t provide an easy way to see queued print jobs or to figure out the errors that prevent a printer from properly working. Google’s Cloud Print made doing those possible, but the app is shutting down in 2021. Now, 9to5Google has discovered that the tech giant is working on a “Print Management app” for the platform. A Chrome OS specific flag in chrome://flags describes it as:

Print Management App

Enables the print management app that allows Chrome OS users to view and manage their native print jobs.

#print-job-management-app

The app’s development is still in its very early stages, but it will apparently show you your recent print attempts, a job’s name and which printer it was sent to, as well as if it was successful. In addition, the app will include the capability to scan documents based on another flag that describes a scanning UI:

Scanning UI

An experimental UI that allows users to interact with a connected scanner.

#scanning-ui

It’s unclear when the feature will be available. Hopefully, Google rolls it out before Cloud Print follows Reader and the tech giant’s other scrapped products to the trash heap.

The ExoMars rover mission has been postponed until 2022 for further testing

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The European and Russian teams have run out of time for the 2020 launch window.

The ExoMars mission to carry a rover to the red planet will not launch this year as planned, according to the European Space Agency (ESA) and Russia’s Roscosmos. The agencies announced that several components of the spacecraft, particularly the parachutes, still need testing. That means they’ll miss the planned 2020 launch window and will need to wait for the next opportunity happening sometime between August and October 2022.

The rover itself (called Rosalind Franklin), along with the landing platform and Proton launch vehicle are all ready for launch. However, two parachutes needed to slow the spacecraft down during Mars entry, descent and landing must still be qualified following multiple failures during earlier testing. “Launching this year would mean sacrificing essential remaining tests,” said ESA director Jan Woerner in a press conference today. “This is a very tough decision, but I am sure the right one.”

Spacecraft can only be launched from Earth to Mars every 26 months when their orbits line up. The rover mission has already been delayed once, as it was originally set to be launched in 2018. The ESA and Roscosmos did successfully launched the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter in 2016. That vehicle is designed to monitor rare gases on Mars and act as a relay for the ExoMars rover.

The ESA’s cautious approach is understandable, considering it already lost a lander (the Schiaparelli), during the 2016 mission. The teams will now have plenty of time to test the 15- and 35-meter wide parachutes that failed in May and August 2019 (required because the Roscosmos-designed lander lacks a powerful retropropulsive rocket system). New tests are scheduled for March in Oregon.

Analysts Decrease Earnings Estimates for SITE Centers Corp. (NASDAQ:SITC)

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SITE Centers Corp. (NASDAQ:SITC) – Equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group dropped their Q1 2020 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of SITE Centers in a report released on Tuesday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group analyst L. Tsai now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.27 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.28. Jefferies Financial Group also issued estimates for SITE Centers’ Q2 2020 earnings at $0.27 EPS, Q4 2020 earnings at $0.29 EPS, FY2020 earnings at $1.12 EPS, Q1 2021 earnings at $0.27 EPS, Q2 2021 earnings at $0.27 EPS and FY2022 earnings at $1.21 EPS.

SITE Centers (NASDAQ:SITC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.23). The company had revenue of $111.79 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.53 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.31 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

SITC has been the subject of several other research reports. SunTrust Banks decreased their price target on SITE Centers from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup upped their price target on SITE Centers from $13.50 to $14.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Compass Point downgraded SITE Centers from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $13.50 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, November 25th. BidaskClub upgraded SITE Centers from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on SITE Centers in a report on Friday, February 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $15.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.50.

Shares of SITE Centers stock opened at $9.27 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $13.88. SITE Centers has a 12-month low of $9.21 and a 12-month high of $15.85.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.63%.

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Huntington National Bank bought a new position in SITE Centers in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. NumerixS Investment Technologies Inc grew its stake in SITE Centers by 733.3% in the 4th quarter. NumerixS Investment Technologies Inc now owns 7,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 6,600 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in SITE Centers by 49.4% in the 4th quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 2,783 shares during the period. Comerica Bank bought a new position in SITE Centers in the 3rd quarter valued at $157,000. Finally, Ellington Management Group LLC bought a new position in SITE Centers in the 4th quarter valued at $164,000.

About SITE Centers

SITE is an owner and manager of open-air shopping centers that provide a highly-compelling shopping experience and merchandise mix for retail partners and consumers. The Company is a self-administered and self-managed REIT operating as a fully integrated real estate company, and is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SITC.

Analysts Offer Predictions for Black Diamond Group Ltd’s FY2021 Earnings (TSE:BDI)

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Black Diamond Group Ltd (TSE:BDI) – Raymond James issued their FY2021 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Black Diamond Group in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, March 10th. Raymond James analyst F. Bastien forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $0.05 for the year. Raymond James has a “Outperform” rating and a $2.50 price objective on the stock.

BDI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. National Bank Financial set a C$2.25 price objective on shares of Black Diamond Group and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Black Diamond Group from C$2.00 to C$2.25 in a report on Friday, March 6th.

BDI stock opened at C$1.42 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 55.46. Black Diamond Group has a fifty-two week low of C$1.36 and a fifty-two week high of C$2.75. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is C$1.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$1.81. The stock has a market cap of $100.63 million and a PE ratio of -8.77.

About Black Diamond Group

Black Diamond Group Limited rents and sells workspace and modular workforce accommodation solutions. It operates through two segments, Modular Space Solutions and Workforce Solutions. The Modular Space Solutions segment provides modular space rentals to customers in construction, real estate development, manufacturing, education, financial, and resource industries, as well as government agencies in North America.

Analysts Set Expectations for Triumph Bancorp Inc’s Q1 2020 Earnings (NASDAQ:TBK)

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Triumph Bancorp Inc (NASDAQ:TBK) – Investment analysts at B. Riley lowered their Q1 2020 earnings per share estimates for shares of Triumph Bancorp in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, March 9th. B. Riley analyst S. Moss now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings of $0.41 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.46. B. Riley currently has a “Neutral” rating and a $33.00 price target on the stock. B. Riley also issued estimates for Triumph Bancorp’s Q2 2020 earnings at $0.42 EPS, Q3 2020 earnings at $0.52 EPS, Q4 2020 earnings at $0.55 EPS, Q3 2021 earnings at $0.63 EPS and Q4 2021 earnings at $0.65 EPS.

Triumph Bancorp (NASDAQ:TBK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $75.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $75.64 million. Triumph Bancorp had a net margin of 17.08% and a return on equity of 9.15%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.67 EPS.TBK has been the topic of a number of other research reports. DA Davidson downgraded shares of Triumph Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $45.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, February 10th. BidaskClub downgraded shares of Triumph Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Triumph Bancorp from $43.00 to $41.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Triumph Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, ValuEngine downgraded shares of Triumph Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $38.25.

NASDAQ TBK opened at $22.72 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. The company has a market capitalization of $748.25 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $38.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $35.18. Triumph Bancorp has a one year low of $22.52 and a one year high of $43.15.

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TBK. Driehaus Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Triumph Bancorp by 298.6% in the 4th quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 354,693 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,485,000 after buying an additional 265,719 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Triumph Bancorp by 106.4% in the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management Inc. now owns 177,027 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,731,000 after buying an additional 91,249 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of Triumph Bancorp by 306.0% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 73,356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,339,000 after buying an additional 55,286 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in shares of Triumph Bancorp by 107.8% in the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 101,520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,860,000 after buying an additional 52,665 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Triumph Bancorp by 134.5% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 73,777 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,805,000 after buying an additional 42,316 shares during the last quarter. 78.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Triumph Bancorp

Triumph Bancorp, Inc operates as a financial holding company for TBK Bank, SSB that provides banking and commercial finance products and services to retail customers and small-to-mid-sized businesses in the United States. The company operates through Banking, Factoring, and Corporate segments. It offers depository products, including checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; and commercial and industrial loans, loans to purchase capital equipment, and business loans for working capital and operational purposes.